Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Why Contribute?

Someone read my last blog entry and contacted me to ask why I had done all those "good deeds" and upstanding contributions?  They asked if any of my former deeds helped me nowadays?  Would I recommend such actions to other people?
     To be honest, I contributed to others because I wanted to.  Regarding organizations, I was rarely "guilted" into it.  Peer pressure was responsible for a small portion of my life's good deeds.  Mostly, I believe that a "difference" and an "impact" start with one person.  They energize others.


Call me naïve, but I believe good deeds are contagious.  




     The main premise of the film "It's A Wonderful Life" is that you never know how many lives you touch with your good actions.  Sure, it's gratifying and encouraging when Life/Fate gives you recognition or when you learn of the ways that you've helped make a difference.  Yet, you do the things that help others because you want to… because your heart is full and your conscience advises you to.
     Now, to the second question.  People close to me would say that No, certainly all my former good deeds are not helping me now.  When you do the "right things" and donate your time/talents, it doesn't always improve your own life.  The movies suggest that it does.  However, I know friends who donated parts of their lives in faraway places… with no benefit to their current predicaments.  They worked at orphanages, Peace Corps, charities and organic farms.  None of that helps them currently.  The same for "Pro-Bono" work.  Learning experiences and "peace of mind", yes.  Career advancement or monetary support, no.  But, they did it anyway.
     Regarding all the volunteerism and fund-raising I did for my parochial high school and my university.  Thinking back on all the church committees I tirelessly contributed to.  The church and college newspapers.  Helping my hometown neighbors.  Comforting all the "closeted" gay guys I knew.  Starting a honor circle at college, and the seven other student organizations that I was an officer of.  Earning the Honors to graduate with.  Achieving the Alpha Mu Alpha award (the most-recent worthy student was 10 years before me).  Coaching my coworkers, so they'd keep their jobs.  None of those people are in my life now.  Job interviewers don't care about any of it.  Neither to potential friends.  My organizational skills, strategies, people skills, political savvy, and fund-raising accomplishments haven't connected me with any powerful people.  It's like a person loses everything in a building that burns down.
     So, why would I recommend such behavior to others?  Because some of it DOES help you.  I'll take those experiences into new relationships and organizations.  I might've inspired others and set a good example for people.  We never know all the people whom we affect.  The Boy Scouts gave me immeasurable civic goodness, confidence, and team spirit.  I take those personality traits with me today.  Just like you carry good penmanship or manners.  
     Yes, I think it's a crying shame that former contributions don't always provide connections to more successes.  So many times we see the backstabbing or corrupt people or shallow "followers" enjoying life.  Nonetheless, a "random act of kindness" is contagious.  So, keep doing them.  Contributions to worthy causes gets things done, and they make impacts.  Keep doing them.  Being kind and respectful to others doesn't cost anything and is the right thing to do.  Maybe it breeds good karma.  Keep doing them.  In my careers, I got people to work harder for me through attracting their motivated enthusiasm/admiration, rather than instilling fear/hatred.  And remember, small steps have accomplished great things.


     I recognize the irony that I've been taken advantage of many times, while those I'd helped stood by helplessly.  I can only hope that my behavior/contributions may spark them to act differently in the future, or that our paths cross again and they feel compelled to help.  If I never see any of the people (whom I know I helped) again, I'll still know what a great job I did.  I'll know that organizations, people and experiences were brighter because of me.  Just as you might help a lost child, or volunteer at charity work, avoid wasting food, or clean up some litter in the park.  Keep doing it.

Monday, April 20, 2015

You really think so? Really?

     A so-called friend recently (and cluelessly) told me that he'd read my Oct 22, 2014 blog entry about interviewing for jobs.  He's also read my June 6, 2014 entry, which is related.  His comment was that maybe I'd earned bad karma in the career aspect of my life.  Really?  Obviously he hasn't read the middle of my "Life Story" (click this link to get there):



     My first job after college involved me coordinating conference calls across America's time zones to ensure that people did their jobs well and thus KEPT their employment.  My other duties included getting new hires' (across the country) information accurately inputted into the main system and reaching out to them for omissions or corrections.  All of my life's volunteer work/fund-raising has been to support organizations--so their people can keep their jobs.  
     During my 15 years in NY retail, I have trained, retooled, disciplined, hired, fired, retained, negotiated, transferred and educated 70 employees.  In my very first retail job, I stepped forward to assist worthy employees to keep their positions.  Refraining from backstabbing politics at work, I have always been a pinnacle of decency, trying to uphold a meritocracy whenever possible.  (Nonetheless, I'm smart at organizational politics and maneuvering).  
     As a retail manager, I did my best to get good people hired--not just my friends or folks who bribed me with favors.  I "scaled mountains" to help a financially-challenged woman get a job at my company… because I knew her to be trustworthy, talented and hard-working.  I recruited another former colleague to my current job, to help her escape an oppressive work environment.  For talented staff, I went "above and beyond" to help them get internal transfers--even though it moved them out of my department.  When one young woman needed to relocate out-of-state, I worked with a company Director to get her a job at our branch in that state.  The thankful woman was able to keep her seniority and pay scale, and it made her "moving" so much easier!
     Beyond the job description of "manager", I helped subordinates (where English wasn't their first langue nor was it their strongpoint) to compose letters to doctors, tutors, teachers, scholarships.  When it was elicited from me (or seemed like it would be appreciated from me), I tutored staff about Life Balance, nutrition, stress-management, and cohesive teamwork.  When colleagues were "feeling down", I selflessly stepped in to buoy them up… for all kinds of scenarios: medical emergencies, missing persons, elder relative accidents, stressful family occasions, relationship issues, job-related stress, financial stress, and arguments.
     When my boyfriend told me of his friend who recently moved to NYC and needed employment, I successfully matched her talents and got her a job at my company.  At my last job, I was able to promote three of my staff (out of 10) to other divisions.  When a subordinate informed me of his desire to change careers, I graciously coordinated with him to allow him time to "ease out of our employment"--while maintaing work standards for our department.  When another man needed to move into a new home, I coordinated schedules to seamlessly facilitate it.  I repeated that process for a newly-hired woman, a few months later.  The same went for vacation/time-off requests (which kept my team "pulling hard" for me). 
     Respectful of varied cultures/faiths/races/sexual orientation, I have usually melded well with coworkers.  I never denied a job applicant based on their demographic.  In doing so, my teams have often had great talent (from unexpected sources).  Exponentially, the number of client Thank You's that I have is astounding.  
     At my previous job, I increased my department's revenue to being the second largest in the country (out of 33 locations).  Going from a status of the worst "problem areas", I made it the best-performing store in my 6 store district--even surpassing the national flagship, also in NYC!  I resurrected that department's reputation.  I increased the Customer Satisfaction Survey scores to the highest ratings in that store's 10-year history!  (a survey was given to every single customer).  The (now retired) Vice President, of 14 years, who hired me was amazed at my performance, considering that I had no prior knowledge of that industry.  The National Director, of 20 years with the company, is a die-hard job reference for me.
     Before that job, my career as a retail salesman (and Key Holder and AM) earned me the rank of 4 of 14 at my Long Island flagship store (amongst several 20+ year veterans who also worked there).  My net sales for four years exceeded $1 million dollars--quite an accomplishment considering the price-point of the merchandise I sold.  I ranked 45 in the "top 100" of 1,500 salespeople; the top 30 worked at NYC and other city flagships.  And I began that job without any prior retail experience.  The program that I eventually managed was doubled, by my efforts, in less than a year.
     My three jobs before that had me reporting directly to a company president, two Vice Presidents, and a CEO.  All of whom loved me, yet their organizations either relocated or closed (for foreign ventures).  They still act as job references for me and fondly recall my accomplishments/impact.
     So, NO, I don't see how I could've earned any bad karma to complicate my job search.  The way I see it, I should have plenty of good karma to be efficiently/seamlessly segued into a new successful job.  Thus, I can't explain my repeatedly unpleasant experiences.  Another of life's mysteries.  Yet, my conscience is clear.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Food for Thought

     From time to time, Lewis and I enjoy watching the Food Network.  In fact, it's often more inspiring than watching the Morning News.  A majority of the around-the-clock programs emphasize the supreme importance of fresh ingredients.  They champion the use of small-batch beverages and foods, organic produce, artisanal dairy items, and fair-trade cocoa and coffee beans.  They interview chefs who use hormone-free meats and farm-to-table veggies.  
     But, have you ever noticed that a majority of the TV commercials for that network are for "processed food" corporations?  It's sort of laughable.  Food for thought.



Thursday, April 16, 2015

Comparative Money

     Last night was the season premier of "Million Dollar Listing", which my boyfriend Lewis enjoys watching.  In fact, since it's filmed in NYC, we've actually spotted Luis and Fredrik "out and about".  However, the show made me think of something.
     Consider the unskilled (perchance illegal alien) workers who construct the 17-unit luxury apartment building.  Consider how much they get paid.  Think of the union-contract workers who do the carpentry, plumbing and electricity for a 17-unit building… and their compensation.  They do an awful lot of back-breaking work.  Then, consider how much commission a realtor like Fredrik gets for connecting 17 buyers with those apartments.  He makes an insanely larger sum.  And doesn't break a sweat.
     My comment made Lewis draw equal conclusions about shoemakers and retail salesmen for Prada.  Or watchmakers and salesmen for Rolex.  Or how much a line-cook gets paid at a restaurant (toiling hotly every day) compared to how much a bar tender makes.  
     All things considered, it's no wonder that people shun the "work with hands" trades and professions.  Instead, they flock to the other "easy money" jobs.  Perhaps, something is wrong with the compensation scales.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Chickens, Recycling, and People

(No, this isn't about food products, lol).
     Some food companies make such a fuss to advertise and announce that they don't (or no longer) mistreat chickens or cows.  No growth hormones.  No injected pharmaceuticals.  A grass diet instead of corn.  No inhumane treatment.  
     Certain companies tout their capacity to avoid using pesticides.  All of which make sense.



     Others loudly promote how they're diminishing their "carbon footprint".  How they're using recycled materials.  




     Why?  Because they want the consumer to buy from them again.  However, what would the consumer do if they knew how companies treated their human employees?

True story from a dear friend of mine working in NYC retail:
     After being the number-one salesman in America of his brand, my friend announced his intention to leave that company.  He desired a company with higher compensation, higher levels of "quality" inventory, and a higher brand recognition from the consumers.  As his two-week "notice" neared an end, he emailed the "Head of Human Resources" to ask if he had time for one last doctor's appointment.  He wrote that if he didn't, he would not make the appointment.  No reply.  He emailed and again.  He left a voicemail.  Other people whom he knew at the corporate office indicated that the HR woman was there but was, per usual, goofing off.  Despite working down the hall from the company's president, the HR woman was renowned in the office for unsupervised shenanigans and a lackadaisical work ethic.  
     A third email (where my friend indicated that he was running out of time) provoked a reply.  The HR woman emailed back, that she would extend the coverage for another week.
     My friend went for his doctor appointment, which resulted in a quick treatment.  Total cost $400.  The next day was my friend's last day working for his company.  After a week, the doctor's office asked my friend for payment because his former company hadn't paid the medical bill.  An email (never phone because that doesn't leave a "paper trail") to the HR woman got her to reply that "she'd have it taken care of with their insurance broker".  But that never happened.  A month later, to avoid Collections, my friend paid the full bill.  But, he still wanted to get reimbursed from his former company. 
     He emailed HR again, showing her the two times that she'd said that the bill would be covered by the company's insurance plan.  A few days later, the HR woman emailed my friend with a curt answer: she had made a mistake and the company wouldn't pay for that doctor's appointment.  No apology or accountability.  Only a "tough luck" attitude.  
     Angered, my friend sent an efficiently detailed email to the company's new CEO.  He described how he had behaved professionally to check with HR before making his doctor appointment.  He showed the written replies from HR.  He sought a gentlemanly solution.
     Almost a week later, the CEO emailed him, asking for the receipts and bills, saying that the company would indeed pay for the medical costs.  A few hours later, the HR woman called my friend to indicate that she had found a way to get everything "taken care of".  Can you imagine how many other employees have suffered at her flippant hands?  In this economy and job market, that HR representative doesn't seem keen to keep her job, nor is she seemingly respectful of the hardworking employees whom she is paid to represent.
     Companies want to proclaim the craftsmanship of their products.  Maybe some light should be shed on how they treat their people.

Boy Scouts

     Have you ever attended a Boy Scout meeting?  You will find a parallel universe filled with gestures of sometimes unbelievable decency and a code of conduct.  If you did, you'd see a "senior patrol leader", probably 15-years-old and in the tenth grade, call the troop to opening ceremonies, lead it through the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a full-throated repetition of the scout motto "Be Prepared" and a scout slogan "Do a Good Turn Daily".  



     To anyone familiar with the chaos of urban public school classrooms, such rituals are a little piece of heaven.  In a world lacking structure, where even your family is in constant flux, Scouting provides order.  From the weekly meetings, flag ceremony and scout oath, to the little rules of self-presentation—like neckerchief-tying and tucked-in shirts—it provides young men with responsibility and accountability.  It calls all scouts to a bit of discipline, leadership, self-control, and a clear path toward achievement.  It speaks a language of selflessness and honor.  I was proud to belong to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

     In fact, the expression of promising something "on my honor" originates with the Scouting Movement.  Seen below, the hand gesture that people use also came from Scouting.  When someone asks, "Do you promise?", I can truly say, "Yes, on my honor."



     At an early age, I began my experience as a Cub Scout and learned the values.




     As I progressed through the next four ranks, my blue uniform earned additional emblems.  When I reached the rank of Webelos, I was indoctrinated further to the Scouting program and wore a different uniform. 





I accepted the challenge of the elective adventure called Arrow of Light.  Succeeding, I demonstrated readiness for the next step on "the Boy Scout trail", and I could wear the Arrow badge.



     My transition was symbolized by a ceremony of crossing a wooden bridge.  


     I was also issued a new handbook to read.  During Scouting, I probably read more handbooks than an Army sergeant or employee at Cartier.  Nonetheless, it was good conditioning for my mind.


     As an official Scout, I started at the lowest rank.  I strove to rise quickly to the next rank of Tenderfoot, and I earned my way upwards thereafter.  However, to achieve Tenderfoot, I was required to prove knowledge about practical use of a square-knot and taut-line hitch, how to sharpen a knife and saw, how to pack/carry camping gear, pitch a tent, explain the importance of the Buddy System, describe the significance of socializing as a patrol and larger as a troop, raise/lower/fold the U.S. flag, show improvement in push-ups and sit-ups, prepare a cook-out meal and share in the clean-up, and demonstrate first-aid for scrapes, blisters, snakebites, frostbite, and choking.


     Concurrently, I also sought to contribute to my Boy Scout Troop in leadership capacities.  Due to my efforts, I qualified to become Assistant Patrol Leader, then Patrol Leader.  Later, I got a promotion to Senior Patrol Leader.  I learned to instruct boys and earn their respect by setting a good example.



     Despite the instructional learning, we had loads of fun!  Full of boyish verve and vivacity, we played intramural sports and had contests for handmade sailboats and wooden racing cars (that we carved ourselves).






     We learned about our national heritage.  We travelled to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to see the Liberty Bell (a national treasure) and Independence Hall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) where the nation was born in Philadelphia.  





     We also bought Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from the two "competing" restaurants in Philadelphia.  Both were mediocre.  We discovered that it was a gimmick to deceive tourists to buy food from both places.  That taught us a lesson to be wiser.

     To admire an architectural marvel, we ascended to the top of the Twin Towers (without conceiving the possibility that they would collapse in 2001).  Honestly, the view was unremarkable.  


 
     For knowledge about aquatic wildlife and lessons about water pollution, we journeyed to a fish hatchery in Cold Spring Harbor.



     Here are the kinds of things that my Boy Scout troop participated in throughout our community, donating our efforts "doing good deeds" (unpaid, and in our spare time) and volunteerism for civic good:

Park beautification.




Picking up litter, and trash removal from forlorn public spaces.






Cooking meals and serving them at charitable Soup Kitchens for underprivileged people.



Tidying the property around churches and temples: trash clean-up and beatification projects.



Contributing festivities to Nursing Homes and Senior Centers.


     Famously, we held Food Drives: going door-to-door to collect donations, as well as standing outside of supermarkets to ask passersby for donations.





 
     Part of my early-learned salesmanship came from our fundraisers of selling home-goods or snacks.  Sometimes we positioned ourselves outside of supermarkets.  But, mostly, each of us used door-to-door techniques.  It was a great learning experience.





     Volunteerism is important to Scouting because "service to others" should be a lifelong activity.
     Ernest Thompson Seton, a Canadian naturalist and children's author, wrote, "It is the exception when we see a boy respectful of his superiors and obedient to his parents… handy with tools and capable of taking care of himself."  Seton looked around for "robust, self-reliant boyhood," but found "a lot of dull-witted cigarette smokers with shaky nerves and doubtful vitality".
     The Boy Scouts grew out of Seton's boys' group, the Woodcraft Indians, and the insights of a British war hero who was a baron: Lieutenant-General, the Right Honorable Lord Robert Baden-Powell.  



     In 1906, His Lordship envisioned a youth organization that grew on ancient codes of chivalry: strength and goodness, instead of "gangsta" culture.  Baden-Powell wrote, "The aim of the organization is to develop among boys a power of sympathizing with others, and a spirit of self-sacrifice and patriotism."  The baron believed that Scouting's core virtues of "selflessness" and the "cheerful performance of duty" were as valid for the poor as for the upper and middle classes.  Respect for others—without social class distinctions—was a scout's universal duty.  A scout held himself accountable to a noble set of lofty ideals, an eco-friendly behavior, and a socially-responsible code of conduct.  




     Scouts progress through a series of ranks by mastering outdoor skills and showing self-reliance and civic-mindedness.  Many of the requirements reinforce bourgeois values, like being thrifty and handy.  (Think of the scout characters in the film "Up"...



...and "Moonlight Kingdom" or "Ducktales": always helpful, effervescent, and resourceful).  

     Other Scout requirements are exercises in self-cultivation.  Boys memorize the contents of a store window after a brief period of observation, to develop mental discipline and attention to the world around him.



     The core of Scouting is the scout law and oath (above).  Scout Law: "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."  Scout Oath: "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."  The scout handbook, "a book about goodness", has an overarching theme of thoughtfulness toward others.  Excellent schools promote the same values.

     In addition, there are themes of preservation of Nature, a sense of community, and doing good deeds.  All of those united during our annual weeks of Summer Camp.  Many troops convened.


     Camping was a great way to expand my outdoor skills.  









     Lunchtimes at summer camp involved a slew of designated duties that rotated for all scouts.  We ate together in woodsy dining halls.  It was fun to meet new people from other parts of the country.




     "Leave a place (campsite) better than you found it," is another phrase that is quite valuable.  Don't litter, don't vandalize, and clean-up after you use something.





     At night, each troop hosted a campfire to mingle with scouts from nearby counties and remote parts of the state.  Jamborees involved a larger convention of scouts, including internationals.






Meeting new people and being accepting of different cultures was evocative of the baron's original beliefs of inclusion.


Those sensible values stay with me.


     My troop did whitewater rafting along the rocky rapids of the Delaware River!  (It and the State of Delaware are named for an English baron named De La Warr.  That noble family still exists; the 11th Earl De La Warr lives successfully in London).  




     We slept in log cabins in the Adirondack Mountains.  Like mountaineers, we reconnoitered the forests of Mohawk Mountain in the Berkshires highlands.  Sometimes, our hikes through National Parks necessitated a backpack with a sleeping bag... which taught me stamina.





     We camped on the snow in tents in winter, which I refuse to repeat.  


     A pleasant winter weekend was spent at a scenic lodge for cross-country skiing.  




     On other excursions, we caught catfish on trawlers in the Atlantic Ocean.  We went whale-watching by Montauk Point Lighthouse.  (Erected in 1797, it's the fourth-oldest in America, and it's a national landmark).  




     To attend Summer Camp, we sojourned to Baiting Hollow in Suffolk County, NY.




     We also drove 170 miles—across two state borders—to the 1,800-acre Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island.  




     We either slept in lean-tos or army-style tents and shared "rustic" latrines.












     Abiding with the rhythm of Nature, a bugler started and ended our days by performing Reveille and Taps.  


     Each morning, we paraded to the Parade Ground, where we grouped into formations for the Raising of the Flag Ceremony.  We all learned how to properly fold or unfurl/hoist the flag.  As scouts, we used our own trademark three-fingered salute. 




     Scouts also use a unique handshake.  It originated from Ashanti warriors whom the baron met in Africa.





     Some evenings, the various troops congregated for fireside skits.  Many were truly funny.  One accurately taught the importance of "being able to communicate so somebody else knows exactly what to do".  (I still use those skills, which are helpful during "remote meetings" and when I "talk someone through something" on the phone).


     BSA offers Physical Education because it is important for kids to collaborate, learn coordination, compete for awhile, and recharge.  


     Unlike most groups that play sports, the overall theme for Scouts was always "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."



     Scouting promotes literacy, craftsmanship, and problem-solving skills—all vital to the overall development of critical thinking.  Aside from whittling a stick to roast hot dogs, boys also learn history, science and the arts.  



     Only three years after the publication of Scouting for Boys, the famous author, H.G. Wells, wrote, "There suddenly appeared in my world a new sort of boy: an agreeable development of the town-bred youngster in a khaki hat, with bare knees and an athletic bearing, who earnestly engaged in wholesome and invigorating games.  He was a Boy Scout."  





     Quickly spanning the globe, Scouting leaped to America.  "Chief Scout Citizen" President Theodore Roosevelt reminded scouts in 1913 that "manliness in its most rigorous form can be and ought to be accompanied by unselfish consideration for the rights and interests of others." 
     Long before "diversity trainers" appeared, the scout law urbanely told boys to "respect the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion."



     American Scouting entered its heyday after World War II.  The scouts thrived "when America believed in itself," as painter and Boy Scout illustrator Norman Rockwell recalled (his painting above).  
     However, 1960s/70s counterculture and the BSA were a train wreck waiting to happen.  Here was a supremely service-oriented institution suddenly up against a movement celebrating rebellion.  In 1969, membership dropped for the first time in its history; it nose-dived throughout the 1970s.  Perhaps that was the impetus for the BSA's emphasis on minority recruitment.  
     Consequently, when I became a scout, I belonged to a well-rounded and fully integrated troop of varied nationalities, religions, and races.  It was a great education of cultures.  It was a thing of pride to wear your uniform on the streets, alongside one another.  


      Sartorially, my Scoutmaster chose for our troop to wear the traditional "campaign hats".  That type of hat has heritage.



In other troops, the scouts upturned/folded one edge.


It was spiffier than the typical cap...


     During summer camps, parades, and Jamborees, we were admired by other (envious) scouts, who complimented our handsome appearance!  Only the scouts who wore berets might've looked more stylish.


     I used it to my advantage.  Wearing that hat and uniform added authority to my fundraising pleas, as well as my requests for teamwork among other campers.

     Of special pride to scouts is their merit-badge sash, wrapped around them.  


     Every one of those badges represents an achievement; no one "gave" them to you.  At a time when government is creating a dependent class, Scouting insists that nothing comes for free.  Merit badges are awarded, not on the basis of economics or skin color or politics, but according to individual accomplishment.  Earning them involves partnering with another adult or a professional in the community.  
     I fondly recall completing the requirements for my favorites: Personal Fitness, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the World, Cooking, Environmental Science, Hiking, Dentistry, Native American Lore, Astronomy, Lifesaving, Music, Art, Public Speaking, Swimming, Exploration, and Photography.








     The same goes for earning your Order of the Arrow sash (the BSA's National Honor Society), which I did.  



     It involves meeting elite requirements and completing an "ordeal" project.  During the "ordeal", initiates sleep apart from other campers, maintain silence, and work on camp-improvement projects.  The induction ceremony occurs by firelight.





     Scouting is full of insignia, emblems, and badges!  As a youngster, you can hold varied ranks:








     (I wish they'd had a badge for this… ha ha!)



     I can assure you, you do internalize the Scouting values.  A 1996 Lou Harris study indicated that men with Boy Scout experience placed a higher value on honesty and integrity than men without it.  



     The promise of Scouting—a universal brotherhood regardless of demographics—is amazing.  It doesn't matter if you're the high school football star or the nerd.  Currently, troops are wildly diverse with an ethnic and religious mix.  Belonging to a tolerant group is uplifting, and when each Boy Scout Troop marches in municipal parades, they do with pride in themselves and their communities.  I fondly recall marching in annual parades through Main Street in the Village of Farmingdale, and also along the turnpike for three miles.




     Exemplifying a "soldierly precision" and impressive posture, my friends and I were often selected to be the Color Guard who carried the banners and flags in front of the troop.



     After my Scout Troop marched down a local street—during a Veteran's Day parade—an appreciative mother told me that her son was doing a lot of "interesting things with his hands and mind: camping, archery, tying knots, and building fires."  She was amazed that he learned how to use a compass and a map.






     I fondly recall cooking food on our campfires (in summer and winter), as well as preparing meals on propane-fueled griddles and barbecues.  


     Preparing for the big bonfire, we rehearsed funny skits to perform for the other troops.





     As outdoor adventurers, we hiked over hills, explored stalactites in subterranean caverns in the Catskill Mountains, climbed walls, and crossed elevated rope-adventure courses.











     Being a runner, I easily earned my Athletics merit badge, which was styled with a winged foot to honor the Greek god, Hermes.  He protects travelers and is a divine messenger.  When the ancient Romans renamed the gods, he became Mercury.



     Standing on boats, seashores, and riverbeds, we learned the techniques of fishing and fly-fishing.





*Whenever I eat a line-caught fish, I appreciate the effort that was exerted to catch it.

     We learned to cherish Nature's equilibrium and the importance of ecosystem conservation.  




     With my wood-working skills, I built birdhouses (and I mounted one in my backyard).





     As Assistant Scoutmaster was friends with a fellow who owned a propeller-nosed airplane at a private airfield, and some of us got rides in it.  It was my first time flying, and I enjoyed being airborne.




     We made a day-trip to visit America's elite Army school: West Point Military Academy, and we observed its doctrine.  It is also a national landmark.





     My troop also visited a Coast Guard barracks and an Army base.  We observed their methods, standards, and values.


     We toured the U.S. Navy's Intrepid Sea & Air Museum: a retired aircraft carrier that is anchored at a pier in Manhattan.


 




     During years of summer camp, I reveled in opportunities to learn new skills.  We painted, whittled wood, and sketched.




     Using a mallet, tools, needle and plastic cords, I embossed and sewed a leather case for my pocket-knife.





     As a precaution, we learned First Aid...


...before fiddling with our Swiss Army knives (made in Switzerland).  Coincidentally, both use the same colors and an equal-ended cross.



     I was a quick learner during Bow & Arrow lessons, and my steady aim accomplished "tight groupings" of bullseyes.  I added the Archery merit badge to my sash.  (20 years later, friends took me to an archery range.  I remembered what I was taught, and I impressed everyoneespecially the instructorwith my aim).




     Relatedly, we progressed to firearms.  I easily earned two merit badges: Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting.  To avoid harming living animals, our target practice involved Skeet Shooting at clay disks that were mechanically thrown into the air.  Such techniques develop dexterity, nimbleness, calmness, and eye-hand coordination.  I was "an excellent shot".  





     Of course, no one today really needs to know how to build a fire or pitch a tent...  




...but Scouting taught persistence in the face of disappointment.  

     Hiking the Appalachian Trail and the 10-mile Nathan Hale Trail instilled an appreciation for natural beauty and history.  (My Timberland hiking boots served me well!)  


     When it rains and your boots are muddy, you can either weep or you can keep going, knowing it will get better.  Thus, we learned the values of persistence and being physically fit.




The same logic applied to my sneakers.



     We were taught the obligations of physical involvement and the effects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  


     The "trust exercises" built teamwork: the "fall back" routine and blindfolded "guessing games".



     A similar activity was instructing someone how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while assuming that they knew nothing.  The funniest part happened when a scout got frustrated that he couldn't properly describe how to smear the peanut butter, so he shouted, "Screw the peanut butter".  The scout who was being "instructed" gave a devilishly-horny smile, and the boy who said it suddenly realized what it could mean!  All the teenage boys laughed!  


Admittedly, older boys inadvertently or directly taught younger boys about hormonal pleasures.  It's part of life.



     Scouting is one of the few truly age-spanning activities.  Younger scouts look up to older boys, but the age difference never prevented friendships or mutual respect.  Older scouts were aware of their duty as role models.  They encouraged less-experienced scouts to transition from tentative "firsts" to boldness and confidence.  

     Teamwork and coordination was also forged when paddling a two-person canoe.  The hardest part seemed to be getting into the life preserver vests.  Ha ha.






Developing an optimism toward adversity is a key for success.



     Scouting is a brilliant method for infusing children with a set of values that can be especially hard to find.  The little details that fill each meeting constantly reinforce a code of conduct based on self-restraint, neatness, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and courtesy: the essentials of civilized life.  Keeping your uniform in order and standing precisely in line is not haphazard nagging.  They empower scouts to set an example for others.  They give kids opportunities to lead, not just boss others around.  Besides, how often do most teens get to serve as positive role models?  


     In my Boy Scout experience, the greatest boon was my Scoutmaster, Mr. Hank.  A role model.  A lifesaver.  


     For some, he was the only stable adult in a child's life.  He welcomed us into his home and into his orbit of adventure.  He strove to spread Scouting values to our parents, too.  He taught that our every gesture is a moral example—for better or worse.  It was a Socratic dialogue.  When I won awards, he was so proud of me that he created handmade wooden plaques for them!  (If he liked you, it was a honor that the whole district new about).  
     The other Troop Leader was Mr. Keane.  He admired me and my sincere friendliness with his blind son (whom other boys avoided because he was different than them).  Unlike my father, those men were wonderful, upstanding, big-hearted, and gentle-but-firm mentors.  Unfortunately, men like them are hard to find.  In America's current atmosphere, there is focus on "making money" and "taking shortcuts".  There is a vacancy for decent men to lead scouts.



     A few years ago, while the tradition-minded Boy Scouts of the United Kingdom were open-minded to welcome gay members, the Boy Scouts of America (supposedly the "Land of the Free" & "Land of Opportunity") banned gay members.  The fiasco of the BSA denying gay men the role of scoutmaster hurt the organization's image, funding, and civic relationships.  



     As a gay man, it strikes a chord inside me, to watch the events unfold, including Eagle Scouts returning their medals in protest.




     I see men and boys rebuffing the Boy Scouts of America's ignorant decree.  Gay youths and adult supporters wear their colors with pride.  




     Cultivating a love of country in boys is a cure for alienation; it centers them in an identity and informs them that this is their country, too.  The same goes for Teamwork, Togetherness, Community, and Conservation.  
    When I see my neighbors carrying bags up the building's stairs, I help them automatically.  I hold doors for people.  Yet, laughably against the cliché, I've never yet helped a little old lady across the street.  Happily, "Scout Spirit" and good manners still flow from their well-planted roots.  Hopefully a wider array of supporters will sustain the upstanding program for the developing future.   



*Amendment to that: like many wholesome things that try to survive in the squalor of the USA, the Boy Scouts of America disintegrated.  It filed for bankruptcy in February 2020.  Such an occurrence is a terrible shame, and it's indicative of how things operate in America.


     Thankfully, the "Scouting Spirit" is alive in other parts of the world.